The Muslim Council of Elders is an independent international organization that was established in Ramadan 21, 1435 Hijri (July 18, 2014) to promote peace In the Muslim communities. The Council unites Muslim scholars, experts and dignitaries who are known for their wisdom, sense of justice, independence and moderateness. They will work together to promote peace, to discourage infighting and to address the sources of conflict, divisiveness and fragmentation in Muslim communities.
Based in the United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi, the Council is the first institutional body that aims to bring the Islamic nation together by extinguishing the fire that threatens Islam’s humanitarian values and principles of tolerance, and putting an end to the sectarianism and violence that have plagued the Muslim world for decades.
Dr. Ahmed al-Tayyib was born in al-Qurna village, Luxor in 06 January 1946. He was raised in his village and educated in al-Azhar. He memorized the Holy Quran and read the scientific texts following al-Azhar true method. Then, he joined the college of theology in Cairo where he studied doctrine and philosophy and graduated with distinction in 1969.
Dr. Ahmed al-Tayyib worked in many universities in the Islamic world, and participated in many conferences and international events. He was also honored with many medals for his valuable scholarly status in the Arab and Islamic world.
Judge Abdelsalam served as the former advisor to the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb for over eight years and assisted in drafting the Document on Human Fraternity signed by the Grand Imam and Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi in February 2019. The same year, Pope Francis awarded Judge Abdelsalam the Order of Pope Pius IX Knight Commander for his services towards spreading tolerance and interfaith dialogue. He is the first Egyptian, Arab, and Muslim to be awarded this accolade. Judge Abdelsalam represented Al-Azhar, the chief center of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world, in the constitutional assembly charged with drafting a new constitution for Egypt and participated in drafting Al-Azhar documents from 2011- 2018. The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt awarded him the Medal of the Constitutional Court in recognition of his distinguished representation of the Egyptian judiciary during his time at Al-Azhar and the Constitutional Assembly. The Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates awarded Judge Abdesalam the Community Service Medal for his commitment and positive impact towards strengthening security in communities. A graduate of Al-Azhar University, Judge Abdelsalam is a member of the Al-Azhar Center for Interreligious Dialogue.
